Now a regular session at IIeX NA, I’m delighted to introduce you to the speakers taking part in the New Speaker Track! These folks have never spoken at a conference before so let’s give them a hearty hello and welcome!

Why have you never spoken at a conference before? I’ve been in the market research industry for 25 years (that’s when I stopped counting). During that time, I’ve been involved with MRA and Insights Association on the local as well as the national level. For years, I’ve been an admirer of the IIeX and its contribution to the market research industry. The reason I have not spoken at the conference before is I was never asked to. When an invitation was extended, I happily accepted.

What tip have you received that was most helpful in preparing to be a speaker? Take advantage of the assistance provided to first-time presenters. Previous award-winning, “Top Shelf” IIeX presenters who have successfully provided conference audience with informative and entertaining talks are willing to share insights, speaking tips, and instructional webinars to help you be a great presenter. They provide assistance with developing a topic, guidelines for a successful delivery and feedback on your overall presentation. Take advantage.

What would you say/recommend to other people who have never spoken at a conference before? If you have been invited to speak at the conference, your talent and expertise have already been recognized. You will have all the support you need to be an excellent presenter.

Why do you want to speak at IIeX? I’ve been in the market research industry more than 25 years helping clients expand or improve their corporate footprint within the multicultural marketplace. I want to share my knowledge and research experience among these diverse consumers with my colleagues.

What are you most looking forward to about IIeX? Looking forward to networking with colleagues who have a shared interest in market research among multicultural communities.

Dydra Virgil, Principal, V&L Research and Consulting, Inc.

Dydra Virgil has more than 25 years of experience in market research. She’s a skilled moderator and consultant capable of developing studies to solve clients’ problems and digging beneath the obvious to uncover the meanings and motivations for participants’ reactions. She has conducted research to support creative development, strategic plans, product development and marketing plans. Dydra has conducted numerous qualitative and quantitative studies for clients including Coca-Cola, P&G, McDonalds, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wal-Mart and Emory School of Medicine to name a few. All of these studies involved African-American and/or Hispanic participants. Ms. Virgil has an MBA from Wake Forest University with a specialty in Marketing Research and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Through Ms. Virgil’s leadership, V&L Research and Consulting, Inc. has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Market Research Firms Certified Through the Greenbook Health Certification Program, The Greenbook, New York American Marketing Association.

Given growth and immigration, the demographics of the USA are slowly changing. In this presentation, we’ll detail how the “Browning of America” will impact the need for new insights and thinking about the way we conduct marketing research. Through a series of case studies related to multicultural markets, demographic trends, and future corporate marketing we will relook at the methodologies needed to capture insights about this marketplace, and how this could affect your research business.